Mustangs skate to state hockey title

WASILLA — After the final horn of the 2016 4A state title game, the Chugiak Mustangs instantly transformed from a group of athletes competing for a championship to merely part of the audience. The Mustangs were forced to watch West Anchorage celebrate.

It took a year, but the Mustangs finally had their moment. After finishing as the runner up in 2016, Chugiak used a 3-0 win over South Anchorage in the ASAA First National Cup championship game Feb. 11 to win its first 4A state hockey title in nearly two decades.

“It was a big thing. We’ve been thinking about it all year,” Chugiak senior Brady Lindberg said of the motivation created by the loss to West in the finals last year. “We know what it’s like to be in a state championship. We lost last time. But we knew what it takes to win this year.”

And Lindberg, part of a veteran-laded group, could not have been happier as he celebrated with teammates, coaches and fans on the ice of the Menard Arena in Wasilla.

“It feels amazing to be a state champion. Especially since a lot of us, it’s our last game,” Lindberg said.

Lindberg scored the eventual-game winner for the Mustangs, who earned a state crown for the fifth time in school history. Chugiak was a state power in the 1990s, early three titles during a four-year stretch from 1991-1994. But the 2017 state crown is the team’s first since 2000.

Lindberg’s goal came near the 10-minute mark of the second period. Lindberg, skating forward between the circles, took a sharp pass from fellow forward Zach Krajnik from the bottom of the left wing circle, and beat South goalie Hannah Hoganson upper shelf. The play was created when Andrew Beckett stole a South pass in the Wolverines defensive zone.

Even though the Mustangs would add a pair of goals courtesy Beckett, Lindberg’s tally would prove to be enough, considering Jack Walters’ stellar night in goal. The junior netminder stopped all 31 shots he saw, including 13 in the third period.

“He’s amazing. He’s like a brick wall out there,” Lindberg said.

Beckett added to South’s advantage later in the second period. The forward picked up a loose puck and skated up the right side of the ice, burying a shot to give Chugiak the 2-0 lead. Beckett iced the game with an empty-netter late in the third.

The win capped a weekend dominated by the Mustangs. Chugiak outscored its opponents 15-3 during the three-day championships. The Cook Inlet Conference champs opened with a 7-2 win over Mid-Alaska runner-up Juneau-Douglas in the first round, and beat up three-time defending North Star Conference champions Colony 5-1 in the semis.

And thanks to it all, Lindberg and his fellow seniors were able to end their careers on top.

“This is my last game ever. There’s not better way to go out,” Lindberg said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Chugiak 3, South Anchorage 0

4A state title game

Feb. 11, Menard Arena

First period — No scoring.

Second period — 1. Chugiak- Lindberg (Krajnik, Beckett) 10:08; 2. Chugiak- Beckett (unassisted) 6:35.

Third period — 3. Chugiak- Beckett (Krajnik) en 1:21.

Shots on goal: Chugiak 6-8-7—21, South 11-7-13—31; Saves: Chugiak- Walters 11-7-13—31, South- Hoganson 6-6-6—18.